NORWAY’S CASE OUTLINED

Southland Times, Issue 24056, 21 February 1940, Page 7

NORWAY’S CASE OUTLINED

Denial Of British Allegations NO REPLY YET TO NOTE (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received February 20, 7.30 p.m.) OSLO, February 19. The President of the Norwegian Parliament (Monsieur C. J. Hambro) in an interview said: “Lord Halifax’s Note is based on inaccurate information. I cannot say more until after the conference with the Foreign Ministry.” The Foreign Secretary (Monsieur H. Koht) denied the British allegations that Britons and others had been torpedoed in Norwegian waters. He said Lord Halifax believed that the Altmarck had visited Bergen. This was untrue. Commenting on Lord Halifax’s statement that the technical infringement in Norwegian territorial waters was not comparable with the fact that hundreds of prisoners were aboard the Altmarck under conditions not fit for a dog, M. Koht declared: “It appears that Britain is of the opinion that she can ignore ordinary international law. Well, as a small State whose only aim is to maintain her neutrality, Norway cannot base her rights on power, but she believes the big Powers, as a matter of honour, should respect the rights of small as well as big States. We may have to bring the case before the League or another tribunal.” STOPPED BY TORPEDO-BOAT M. Koht in another statement in Parliament said the Altmarck had not called at any Norwegian port. A Norwegian torpedo-boat stopped her outside Trondheim Fiord on February 14. ■The Altmarck’s captain awaited a formal visitation, although the Altmarck, being a State vessel, was rot bound to submit to such procedure. M. Koht’s reference to a State vessel presumably means that the Altmarck was the property of the German Government. “The captain of the torpedo-boat,” M. Koht continued, “satisfied himself that the Altmarck was what she purported to be. He left the ship after a perusal of the papers. The Altmarck’s captain informed the captain of the torpedoboat that the Altmarck had antiaircraft guns. The ship’s papers stated similarly. As the Bergen naval authorities did not think everything was properly clear another Norwegian warship met the Altmarck northward of Bergen.” The Altmarck then refused inspection “with full rights.” M. Koht explained that the Altmarck’s captain did not use the wireless after he was Warned not to send messages. “The British knew beforehand what we did not know—that there were many prisoners aboard.” SMALL NORWEGIAN FORCE After stating that the British attack on the Altmarck had gravely concerned Norway, M. Koht referred to the German protest and emphasized the impossibility of two small torpedo-boats opposing a strong British force. Sir Cecil Dormer, British Minister at Oslo, had tried to defend the British action, saying that the Altmarck used her wireless and had prisoners aboard, and also that Norway allowed U-boats to operate in Norwegian waters, sinking British merchantmen. M. Koht commented that there was no international rule forbidding the transport of prisoners through a neutral area in so far as navigation itself was not illegal. M. Koht concluded: “We are certain public opinion everywhere will judge the infringement of neutrality we have endured.” M. Hambro, amid general applause, said Parliament and the people backed the Government. ARTICLE BY FORMER MINISTER TWO DELETIONS MADE BY CENSOR LONDON, February 19. Lieutenant-Commander R. T. H. Fletcher (Labour) and Mr G. Le M. Mander (Liberal) are raising in Parliament the question of the censoring of an article by the former Secretary for War (Mr Leslie Hore-Belisha) in News of the World on February 18, in which at two points where an appeal is made for immediate and substantial armed support for Finland, were the insections: (Here twentyfour lines are omitted; and here twenty lines are omitted). This is the first time an English newspaper has indicated the censor’s deletion. Lieutenant-Commander Fletcher says the question at issue is whether the article was censored because it contained facts valuable to the enemy or contrary to the policy of the Government. “If the article was censored because Mr Hore-Belisha’s views were inconvenient, we are confronted with the first principles of totalitarianism.” GERMAN ATTACKS ON WESTERN FRONT FRENCH INFLICT LOSSES ON NAZI PATROLS (Received February 20, 7.30 p.m.) PARIS, February 19. A French communique states that French guns shelled the Perl courthouse containing Germans and reduced it to rubble in retaliation for the German shelling of Apach. The Germans were more active, trying to rush the French defences but an attack east of the Moselle failed. The evening communique states that to the west of the Saar, a German detachment tried to approach a French post but was driven back with losses. Firing was resumed from casemates on the bank of the Rhine. About 20 were killed in an ambush. This is the heaviest patrol loss yet recorded. 90,000 CANADIANS GOING INTO ACTIVE SERVICE (Received February 20, 10.5 p.m.) OTTAWA, February 19. The Defence Department stated that the total number of Canadians going into active service was 90,000. This included the military, naval and air forces.